North Beach car park is off limits, say motorists
Friday 8th February 2013, 12:00PM GMT.
COMMUTERS yesterday warned Public Services that North Beach car park was off limits.
The Guernsey Press spoke to dozens of islanders who use the 200-space facility.
The overwhelming majority said they would be upset and angry to see it go.
They also raised concerns about the impact it would have on Town retailers.
Public Services delivered its ports master plan on Wednesday, which sets out future development priorities for St Peter Port and St Sampson’s Harbours over the next 25 years.
One of the plan’s key proposals is to provide additional space for commercial freight operations and this could involve using part or all of North Beach.
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The Port/PSD is looking to improve facilities, meet “externally” determined security regulations and improve its revenue in order to continue to do so. I suspect that suggesting the loss of the car park is simply a round about way of making their own point..which,no doubt, is that users will have to pay for the continued provision of the service.
I would suggest Mr Domaille and the environment department start looking, with a great deal more conviction,at transport strategies as a whole is looking more urgent than ever!
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Seems a bit of an over reaction when they say they will provide a multi story car park to cover the lost spaces. Of course I have no doubt that a chance in car park will mean paid parking to cover the infrastructure cost but that is a different point. If they truly believe that using part of North Beach to improve freight handling will mean more work for people then we should encourage this with open arms and let them carry on. Of course I would like to see the proof of this…
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Surely St Sampsons harbour is the place to receive commercial port traffic, spend the cash there to improve facilitites and a deep water berth.
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It would be a brave member of the states that backed the plan to remove the North Beach Car Park…
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I have a feeling, as does another poster on a similar thread, that the North Beach reclamation was intended originally for commercial port use, and the car park evolved due to extra land being made available in this prime position. I do hope I am mistaken.
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Stiletto
So what you’re suggesting is that North Beach,funded by the tax payer,was initially intended to be used as a giant trailer park where private haulage companies could stash their vehicles,containers and goodness knows what else,overnight,over the weekend or for weeks on end rather than provide their own premises on which to run their commercial businesses
I can’t see that even Roger Berry would have got that through the States if that had been part of the policy letter at the time
Mind you I reckon it will be a hell of a struggle reclaiming the part of North Beach the Harbour Master has already ‘borrowed’to build his new cranes
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If it was a deep water berth why wouldn’t you use it for cruise ships as well as shipping fuel. I know they (tourists) would have to be shipped by bus to town but there are a lot of small cruise ships that visit the island.
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North beach was a part of any future port development when 1st conceived & not intended for permanent car park indefinitely.
the ports are in desperate need of upgrading, thats the facts after years of neglect from previous states, everything we use nearly, comes through our port & something needs to be done asap, i just don,t get why this generation is expected to fund every capital project surely its time the states borrowed & paid back over a longer term to more fairly share the burden, This generation can,t pay for the last generation,this one & the next one as well!!
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Years of neglect I don’t think so. What was the overspend on the repairs to all the berths, was that only a few years ago? The hard where the ‘new cranes’ are going is being replaced. I would say the terminal building given the number of passengers that use it is not falling apart. Millions have been spent on infrastructure. I would like to see where they will get all this extra income to justify more spending on the harbours.
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Paid parking is on the way, long overdue it is too.
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Yes Vic ramble,
The more money you take of the public for the same services and by the way property called public property, the more is in the bank at the end of the month to pay your over inflated wages.
Just like Jersey.
Best regards
Davey.
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…..don’t know who this Vic Ramble is…my best friends call me Vic Grumble…
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It amazes me how so many people think that Guernsey is a huge island with lots of open space for parkland, farmland and industry as well as plenty of room for lots more housing and motor vehicles. I’m beginning to think that Guernsey aught to think about changing its name to Ostrich Island or Sheep Island.
Land reclamation is vital. Vehicle reduction is vital. Population reduction is vital.
Some years ago used to regularly babysit a farm that was almost as big as Guernsey – lots of sheep there too!
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If I was a cynic,
And if you wanted to keep the 200 spaces you had already taken over, then a good ploy would be to suggest that the whole of the NB car park is taken by the harbour Authorities.
In that event the public would make less fuss when that suggestion falls flat and the compromise would be that the Harbour keep the 200 spaces they have recently taken. Oh! There nothing like government when it wants something.
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Dave,
Other spaces were made available to compensate for the temporary loss of part of the North Beach. The net effect was a loss of 10 town spaces.
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Yvonne B
Good to see you used the term ‘temporary loss’
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Yvonne
It is the word “temporary” that I feel is suspect.
When these spaces were commandeered by the Harbour authorities I predicted at the time that they were unlikely to be re-instated.
I have been in politics long enough to know how these things work.
If PSD wanted to keep this area as an additional freight yard, then they should have been honest enough at the time to say so.
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But at worst, if it were permanent, and I have no inside knowledge on this, we have lost TEN spaces. Not 200.
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Sorry but once this is complete it will go back to parking. Has there been an increased demand for storage, no. These containers can be stored at the companies site if they are going on the next ship then yes. How could you justify not returning it to parking when there is no commercial need for it.
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When they knocked down the Odeon that’s where there should have been built a multi storey carpark with the highest storey in the dip, and would still be best place now, why would anyone want to see st peter port area blighted with containers, trailers or any other unsightly rusty stationary equipment. Maybe build another storey on top of north beach to cover car park BUT for a few shops, cafe, restaurant, maybe small kids play area etc, but leased at reasonable rents and with a bus route through.
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I think the Odeon car park was looked at for that purpose but there were/are covenants barring such a development
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Don’t understand wouldnt have any more height than the Odeon cinema before it?
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It is now a wasted space instead.
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There has not been an increased demand for harbour facilities. No there are not hundreds of extra containers coming to Guernsey or tourists visiting the island. Why would you get rid of a car park that could bring an income in let’s give free freight parking? If you charged it would be empty. Why a shipping firm would leave a full container that could be broken into for an extended period is beyond me. Before 200 spaces were taken the container park was nearly always empty. These spaces are used by people who are working paying taxes to the island. Condor Logistics…
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Dave
Harbour parking for freight containers and trailers is not free. The Harbour Authority can charge up to £44.15 per day for any trailer or container over 10M and £22.00 per day for all trailers and containers less than 10M following the day of arrival.
A summary of port charges can be found on the Guernsey Harbours homepage.
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Business Bloke
If you read they don’t charge (free) quote: 1 working day (excluding the day of arrival)1 working day (excluding day of departure)
they then move the items before they get charged or am I misreading it. They can store at their own company site for free. Have you seen many containers stored there. If these freight companies just drop off and pick up the containers then extra space will bring in very little income.
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